This no-nonsense hearty soup comes from Melissa Clark of the New York Times Cooking section. It's low in fat, calories and WW Points, and best of all, it uses pantry ingredients and whatever vegetables you've got in the fridge. Melissa uses carrots for color and fennel bulb for depth. If you've not cooked with fennel bulbs, I suggest you try them. Like me, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, but you can opt for celery instead. Cherry tomatoes add a burst of bright color.
I'm currently in Genoa, Italy, spending time with my best friend Michael, so I took advantage of the fresh vegetable markets here to buy lacinato kale (cavolo nero in Italian). It's available in most U.S. supermarkets. I much prefer it to curly kale. Kale takes longer to cook than spinach, so I added it to the soup with the chickpeas and orzo. Spinach can be added at the end and cooked for just 2 minutes before serving.
This is a hearty one-pot meal that you can make often with whatever you've got on hand. Make it Melissa's way the first time, then improvise. Use cannellini beans instead of chickpeas, or canned, drained diced tomatoes in place of chopped cherry tomatoes. Toss in a leftover zucchini. You get the picture. You can't go wrong with this delightful combination. Welcome to (almost) winter weather and comfort food!
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 small fennel bulb, chopped (or celery)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 tsp. fresh rosemary (optional)
4 cups chicken broth
1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 cup orzo
5 oz. spinach or kale (cut out the center stems & chop the kale into bite-sized pieces)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and fennel or celery. Cook until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and rosemary and cook another 2 minutes. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil.
Once the mixture is boiling, add the chickpeas, tomatoes and orzo. (Add the optional kale here too.) Reduce heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer 10 minutes, or until the orzo is tender.
Uncover and stir in the spinach and let the greens simmer until soft, about 2 minutes.
Add more water if you want the mixture to be more souplike, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese. If you're not on a weight loss journey, do what Italians do and drizzle on some extra virgin olive oil.
Instant Pot Directions: Heat olive oil on the Sauté function and add onion, carrots and fennel or celery. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn off Sauté and add remaining ingredients. If you're using kale, add it now with the other ingredients because it takes longer to cook.
Pressure cook for 4 minutes and then release the pressure manually. If you're using spinach, add it now and stir until it wilts.
Serves 4
WW Points per serving: 4
